In this article, you will learn about some quick steps for online consumer complaints. Also, we have discussed the various powers of Indian consumer courts that you must know before filing a future complaint.
Consumer Court Judgement: A Consumer Court in India is a general-purpose legislative institution that functions per the regulations of Consumer Protection law (1956). This Court looks after consumer interests and caters to complaints from all over the country.
The unsatisfied Indian consumers have the fundamental right to file a lawsuit in Consumer Court reporting against any specific seller who is probably running a business involving flawed services or products whose standards are far from those promised to the customer. When addressing customer grievances, Consumer Courts are reliable entities that have stood for exploited Indian residents over time.
This article discusses quick steps for online consumer complaint process that will guide you next time you feel disappointed regarding product quality. Despite addressing the same to the seller, you do not get a proper solution regarding value for money.
Consumer Court – Authoritarian Power
To resolve consumer disputes, all the consumer forums are delegated with certain executive rights of an Indian Civil court. These are listed below:
- Enforcing the presence of any defendant and mandatorily summoning the complete list of case witnesses to the court of law;
- Revelation and generation of any legal paper or other supporting shreds of evidence that are relevant to the matter;
- Testing services or products dispensed or manufactured by the concerned laboratory or factory;
- Receiving agreement minutes or evidence on affidavits.
Apart from these fundamental rights, the consumers must also be aware of other technical powers of Indian Consumer Forums as this will help them to create a strong base for their complaints:
- Consumer Forums can demand accounts, commodities, or documents from any organization or person for investigation.
- Any related person who might not be directly involved in the fraudulent activities can be asked to attend the court to obtain the required information; this is an important procedural right.
- These courts have the right to seize documents, company goods, or business rights for temporary periods to commence the purpose proceedings smoothly.
Know more: Consumer Forum Complaint Online
Quick Steps for Consumer Online Complaint
If someone has any complaint regarding a brand’s final product quality or service, they have the right to lodge a formal objection to seeking redress. Traditionally you may file various categories of complaints based on the nature of the problem by visiting your nearest consumer court complaint. There you would be asked to present all key documents supporting your claim.
On the other hand, today it is also possible to generate a new customer complaint online by simply following a few basic steps:
- The Central Government of India maintains an online portal named the Customer Online Resource & Empowerment Hub. This website acts as a complaint lodging and grievance compensation mechanism, which the Council of Consumer Coordination controls. The division of Consumer Affairs supports every exploited customer and caters to their requests with utmost priority.
- Any customer who wishes to file a complaint has to first pass through the online registration procedure. When you visit the website and proceed towards registration, you get an online form that asks you to provide the necessary details like your official name, address line, primary email, and other contact details. Once the data has been entered, you get your unique user ID and passcode.
- Next, we move on to the actual complaint lodging process. An Indian can file a complaint against any officially registered service provider or brand. The virtual complaint lodging platform provides you with a dropdown option where you can select the specific sector, brands and key segments that incorporate all exclusively registered brands under the division of Consumer Affairs.
- Now one must be wondering what the particles a consumer must provide while filing a valid complaint are. To answer this, we have listed down the primary requirements that you need to procure before you eventually start with the complaint lodging process:
- A detailed description of the issue
- Data regarding the organization or persons involved
- Supporting documents that consolidate your claim must be duly attached while submitting the grievance.
- The results of fraudulent activity and the relief sought may also be mentioned, although this step is completely optional.
- After going through the four provisions mentioned earlier, you are now issued a unique electronically generated complaint token number. The purpose of recording this code is to help you track the status of your complaint among hundreds and thousands of other customer complaints that are being lodged daily (both through online and offline methods) until the case is dissolved.
What to Do After Consumer Court Judgement?
One can easily track the active status of their complaint by visiting the official webpage of the consumer forum. Generally, a consumer court takes an estimated timeframe of 90-150 working days to settle customer complaints. This deadline has been indicated under the Consumer Protection law (1986).
If the customer is not satisfied with the court verdict, he can also challenge the court decision. This right is delegated to each Indian under Section 58(1)(a)(iii) of 2019’s amended Consumer Protection Act India.
To do this, the complaint lodging party must submit a writ petition that has to be filed in a High Court per the regulations highlighted in the Indian Constitution’s Article 227.
Applicable Charges for lodging Complaint under Consumer Protection law
To file a protest against someone under the Consumer Protection law, one must pay a minimal fee depending on the total value of relief to be claimed. The prescribed charges to be dispensed are estimated at around ₹200 if the relief amount does not exceed more than ₹5 lakhs and happens to be more than ₹1 lakh. Similarly, these legal fees can be ₹500 when the relief amount that is being sought ranges between ₹10 lakhs and ₹20 lakhs.
Conclusion
Consumers can lodge a complaint under the Consumer Protection law when they are supplied a defective product or underrated service; when someone gets victimized by overcharged price or unfair trade, they may seek justice in a consumer court.
To bring their issue to the judiciary, one can hire COPRA. This is quasi-judicial machinery incorporated to dissolve consumer problems in national, state, or district level courts: https://districts.ecourts.gov.in/chamolihistory. If you want to learn more about consumer forums in India/ information about consumer court, consider reading other related articles on Vakilsearch.
FAQs
What are the stages of consumer court?
The stages of a consumer court proceeding typically include filing the complaint, issuing notice to the opposite party, hearings, evidence presentation, and the final judgment.
What happens after a consumer complaint?
After a consumer complaint is filed, the consumer court issues notice to the opposite party, conducts hearings, allows for evidence presentation, and ultimately delivers a judgment.
How long will it take to resolve a case in consumer court?
The time to resolve a case in consumer court varies depending on factors such as case complexity, court workload, and procedural requirements. Generally, it may take several months to a few years for a case to reach resolution.
What is the punishment for consumer complaints?
The punishment for consumer complaints can include compensation to the consumer for damages or losses suffered, refund of money paid, replacement of goods or services, and in some cases, punitive damages or fines imposed on the opposite party for violations of consumer rights.
What is the consumer court claim amount?
The claim amount in consumer court can vary based on the value of the goods or services involved in the dispute, as well as any damages or losses incurred by the consumer. There may be limits on the maximum claim amount depending on the jurisdiction and the type of consumer court.
What are the powers of the consumer court?
The consumer court has the power to hear complaints related to defective goods, deficient services, unfair trade practices, and violations of consumer rights. It can issue orders for compensation, refunds, replacements, and punitive measures against the opposite party.
What relief is available to consumers?
Consumers may seek various forms of relief in consumer court, including compensation for damages or losses, refund of money paid, replacement of defective goods or deficient services, and punitive damages or fines against the opposite party.
What are five consumer rights?
The five consumer rights include the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, the right to be heard, and the right to redressal. These rights empower consumers to make informed decisions and seek remedies for unfair treatment or harm caused by products or services.
What is the maximum time limit for consumer court?
The maximum time limit for consumer court proceedings can vary depending on factors such as case complexity, court workload, and procedural requirements. However, there may be statutory provisions or guidelines in place to ensure expeditious resolution of cases.
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